Bestselling author of smart, fun, spicy Regency romances with a large cast of characters.

Monday Excerpts!

Yey!! It’s release week for Desiring Lady Caro, book #4 in The Marriage Game! To celebrate I invite you to post your blurb or a short excerpt, as well as media and buy links.

Releases April 3, 2014

Desiring Lady Caro

Ella Quinn’s bachelors are clever, charismatic–and determined to remain single. Yet one by one, they find that fate–and certain irresistible women–cast doubt on even the best laid plans. . .

Haunted by her past, Lady Caroline Martindale fled England for the solace of her godmother’s palazzo in Venice. But if Caro was hoping to escape the charms of marriage-minded men, she’s come to the wrong place. And she’ll resort to extreme measures to spurn the advances of a dangerously determined Venetian marquis. . .

Though most of his friends have married off, Gervais, Earl of Huntley, remains bent on eluding the parson’s mousetrap. But his convictions begin to falter when he arrives in Venice and meets his match in the alluring Lady Caro. What began as a hastily concocted lie to save her from the marquis may become a chance for them both to relinquish their fear–and embrace what they can no longer deny. . .

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Thanks, Ella, for this opportunity. Here’s information on Blinded By Grace, the latest in the Cotillion Ball Series.

In 1858 New York City, Halwyn Fitzpatrick thinks he’s off the hook for attendance at the annual Cotillion Ball. He has no sister to shepherd down the grand staircase this year and no real desire to go through the rituals of courtship and betrothal himself. Besides, he’ll know the right girl when he sees her, especially now that he has new spectacles. But his mother has other plans for him. At 27 years of age, her son is in dire need of a wife.

Grace Wagner needs a husband by July, in order to inherit the trust her father has left for her. Her stepfather, though, has plans for the money that don’t include Grace, and the last thing he wants is for her to find a husband before she turns 21, thereby fulfilling the terms of the trust. She’s been in love with Halwyn since she was thirteen, but he hasn’t noticed her at any of the balls they’ve attended over the years. With the aid of his new eyeglasses, he spies Grace from across the room and they share a dance. Grace decides to present him with a business proposition that will satisfy them both. But, can a clueless knight in shining armor and a desperate damsel in distress find a way to turn a marriage of convenience into something more?

This place smelled of limestone, mildew, and bats. I had no choice but to keep with her footprints. Nearly pitch black, but my Elvin sight saw well enough. When I entered the next cavern, the dirt floor turned to smooth stone, the color of glass. I could not follow her path through this.
My hand flew to my heart in a vow. I promised the gods whatever task they asked of me, I would do. If they helped me find Celeste, I would do anything.
She was my light, saving me through the darkness of my curse and myself. If not for her, I would have drifted to the path of the Drow.
Long ago, before we sequestered ourselves from the humans, the Drow separated from us. They lived in shadows and used their magic for self-gain and harm rather than for the benefit of others. Some said their skin became dark lavender for the darkness in their hearts, others said their eyes turned red from the bloodshed.
I tore through the cave and followed the light, which ebbed like the sun overrun by clouds. Another turn and still the ground did not show her footsteps, only darkened glass.
Thankfully, I neared the source of the light. Down a corridor, the stink of rotting flesh and urine filled the air.
I held the tip of my sword high, and then pressed the edge of my tunic on my free arm over my nose and mouth. The red glow dimmed as though I moved farther away from the source instead of closer.

Thanks so much for the opportunity! Here’s the blurb for the first release in my new series.

Abby’s major screw-up brings the wrath of Zeus upon her head. He offers her a choice – work for him or spend the rest of her days hanging out in Hades with her ex-husband. For Abby, this choice is a no-brainer, especially when Zeus says the only thing he wants her to do is make a love match.

She’s the Goddess of Love. What could go wrong?

Everything.

Abby stumbles into an ex-lover, a dead demi-god and the realization that a crucial relic has been stolen right out from underneath Zeus’ nose. Eris, the Goddess of Chaos and Discord, is behind the theft and murder and the faltering powers Abby is trying to keep secret. With Zeus breathing down her neck, she’ll need to keep her wits about her as she races against the clock and Zeus’ imposed two-week time period.

Of course, this is easier said than done. Not only is she struggling with a budding attraction to a sexy lawman and feelings for long-time friend, Hermes, she’s also trying to keep everyone out of the path of a vengeful goddess while saving the Earth and Olympus from the reign of a tyrant. What’s a goddess to do when the fate of the world rests upon her fashionable shoulders?

“In Regency England, young ladies make their fortune by marrying it. But Cleo Cooper has come to London with a different idea – she’s going to make her fortune by stealing it. Raised abroad by unconventional parents, Cleo has no use for the rules and strictures of the ton. She’ll pretend to fit in, but she has a secret scheme.

Arthur Ramsey, Duke of Winton, is in the market for a wife. He imagines a sweet, conformable young lady who will gracefully fill the role of Duchess, secure the succession with an heir, and not interfere with his scientific pursuits. That’s what he’s looking for – but what he finds is Cleo. ”

Jocelyn Townsend’s life as a courtesan bears no resemblance to the life she envisioned in girlish dreams. But it allows her and her eccentric mother to live in relative security—until her protector marries and no longer requires her services.

Desperate to find a new benefactor, one kind enough to accept her mother’s increasingly mad flights of fancy, Jocelyn is nearly overwhelmed with uncertainty when a lifeline comes from an unexpected source.

Leo Sherbourne’s requirements for a wife are few. She must mother his young daughter, run his household, and warm his bed. All in a calm, dignified manner with a full measure of common sense. After his late wife’s histrionics and infidelity, he craves a simpler, quieter life.

As they embark on their arrangement, Leo and Jocelyn discover an attraction that heats their bedroom and a mutual admiration that warms their days. But it isn’t long before gossip regarding the fate of Leo’s first wife, and his frequent, unexplained absences, make Jocelyn wonder if the secrets of Merrivale Manor are rooted in murder…

Warning: Contains mysterious incidents, a mad mother who screeches without provocation, scheming relatives, and a captivating husband who blows scorching hot and suspiciously cold. All is not as it seems…and isn’t that delicious?